Lowell goes long way
Extra miles key to title
DIV. 1 TRACK
Every coach has some level of investment in his team.
Lowell’s Scott Ouellet on the other hand, takes things to another level. After countless, expensive trips to out-of-state meets, all for the sake of preparation, the Red Raiders’ hard work and diligence finally paid off. This time with a Division 1 boys track title at Reggie Lewis Center.
“We have to get ready,” Ouellet said. “We have to face the best competition. We went to Dartmouth, we went to Yale, we came in here every weekend. Frank Mooney, the MSTCA president, said that we spent a record amount of money in these entry fees at these meets. And I’m happy for them.”
The Red Raiders compiled 51 points. Behind Carlos Rivera, Nasir Gibson, Chris Galarza and Jadiel Pinales, Lowell won the 4x800 relay and added top-five finishes in five of the remaining events to take the meet.
Wachusett won the girls title with 65.2 points, using a stellar all-around effort by Victoria Steffon to its advantage. The senior took first-place honors in the 300 meters in 40.42 seconds, then finished second in the 55 meters in 7.17. She also anchored the Mountaineers to a third in the 4x200 relay.
“It feels great,” Steffon said. “Four years of hard work really does pay off. I really wanted this. And I know our team wanted it. I feel like we all deserved it.”
As has become a regular happening, St. John’s Prep star Tristan Shelgren won the mile with a time of 4:20.94.
What is less common, however, is a race involving Shelgren that goes down to the wire. With the crowd in an uproar, the senior needed a late push, before just edging out Franklin’s Tyler Brogan in a photo finish.
“I didn’t realize how close they were,” Shelgren said. “But you kind of get a feel for it once you see the crowd’s really going wild. And I know it’s usually a good feeling when the crowd’s going wild, but when you’re in first place, it’s not a good feeling. Because you know there’s people coming up on you. And you have to start going faster. So that’s what I did.”
Other impressive performances at the individual level included Needham’s Davonte Burnett, who set meet records in the 55 dash (6.36) and the 300 (34.76).
Newton South senior Caroline Barry finished first in the twomile (11:01.44), beating out the second-place finisher by nearly 35 seconds. She also placed second in the mile (5:05.58) behind teammate Lucy Jenks.
When Ouellet was finished with the media, the Red Raiders stormed their coach, rejoicing in their first championship since 2013.
“We were down,” Ouellet said. “In the field events, we did so well. We got a couple of points, and that brought us back. Then, the relays. We got a first, a second and a third in the three relays. So we relayed our way home. That’s what we did. We relayed are way home, and that’s how we did it. We just rode the depth, and that’s the strength of our team.”